Her Words and His Face
by Nerielle Tu
Summary: She speaks down to him and often times he never listens. One day he finally does. Implied Nnoitra/Neliel/Tesla


A/N: Inspired by and done for my lovely friend sunshade- ILU bby 3

She had been furious. On the occasions she had found his actions to be repugnant she had always made it a point to tell him how much she disapproved. Sometimes he listened, but most of the time he did not. Today had been a rare occasion in which her words rubbed him the wrong way.

"You're such a child," she remarked. "You have no respect for the balance of this world- you taunt those weaker than you with something they can only change with luck." Her words had been plentiful but so quick and firm it seemed as if the lecture was nothing more than a quick insult. "Whaddya think you're going to change, Neliel? No one but you cares about those worthless worms."

She had become outraged. "You are not much better than them yourself, Nnoitra."

He had growled and readied his blade. "Are ya so sure about that Neliel? Then why don't you fight me? Surely a worm such as myself needs to be taught a lesson, right?" he said with malice in his voice. She looked at him and wanted to laugh, because he had missed the point. "You fail to realize my point, Nnoitra."

She looked at him seriously. "A beast such as yourself deserves only my pity. Think of how worthy you are of my blade taking your life when you only take the lives of those who cannot possibly kill you. Your strength is measured only on the bones of the weak. I refuse to break your body, what would it give me in this life?"

He had listened.

-

Nnoitra had heard those words only two days before today. In his rage he had decided to try and prove her wrong. She was a woman who feared strength, and a woman who wanted only peace. She had no right to talk of matters of power and who would respect it when she did not want it. _But she has it_ he argued inwardly. _She has it and completely understands it._ He was facing an enemy now. _Then why? Why does she refuse to fight. Why does she seek nothing but peace._

There was a whole group of them. A group of experimental arrancar- just as he and Neliel were- but they were Numeros. Numeros who ached for the joy and hope of an Espada. He could not decide who they were like- Neliel or Nnoitra himself. As he gripped Santa Teresa firmly he could only spit on them before he prepared to attack. _They are not worth the ground she walks on- nor the ground I spit on. _

'Your strength is measured only on the bones of the weak'

He killed them. It was a slaughter. Nnoitra laughed and at the same time felt the overbearing sense of how wrong he had been. He could hear her words echo over and over. She had said many similar things before- but never had she finally snapped and told him how incorrect he had been on such a level.

_I've killed them already, what does it matter?I killed them all. _

_**They were weak. **_

_I can'te reverse their deaths. Why the fuck should I have to? Why should it matter, why should it __concern anyone but me?_

_**You say that- but you want people to recognize your strength at the same time. Face it- she was right. You couldn't even control yourself. Ya killed all of em. **_

"Tch."

He heard a whimper. He turned to see another arrancar cowering behind a mound of sand. He was not sure if he was one of the group who had tried to fight him or if he was just watching. He had seemed frightened and sort of beat- so he assumed he had been one of the survivors of that pathetic group of arrancar.

His eyes said that he was afraid to die. He waited for him to beg- he waited for him to cry or to plea. Yet even as he laid there in shock and dismay he only felt fear- he never expressed it. In Nnoitra's eyes was a slight respect. No matter how badly he was afraid of Nnoitra- this weak and pathetic arrancar did not even cry. Nnoitra turned away from him and sighed. "I ain't gonna kill you," he said as he turned back. "You're too weak to die by my hands."

The arrancar did nothing- he didn't even piss his pants or something Nnoitra would expect. He stood up calmly and was probably thinking something trivial. Nnoitra didn't give him time to think about it.

He laughed.

_**It looks like I didn't kill all of them, Neliel.**_

He had sparred someone because of her. For a long time he never let her words get to him again. He simply did as he pleased. But this arrancar would soon become his fraccion- a symbol of both his ability to show mercy and his ability to understand his own cruelty. Perhaps he was also a symbol of his ability to understand other people's courage and ability to grow. Something he would never fully learn.

Maybe it was her words that sparred him- but maybe it was also his lack of proper fear. He didn't beg.

Nnoitra laughed again- sometime later as he slayed another man right in front of that arrancar's eyes. The arrancar did not waver but instead respected his master's will to kill. Rather than discourage Nnoitra for his evil he encouraged and admired it.

Nnoitra laughed.

His name was Tesla.


End file.
